MURFREESBORO — An
MTSU senior will compete with four other college students this month in a
national contest to determine who can design the best clothing for outdoor activities.

Alycia Gillaspie, an apparel design major from Murfreesboro,
will put her skills into practice in “Project OR – Cycle 10” at the Outdoor
Retailer Winter Market Jan. 23-26 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Gillaspie’s challenge will be to create a garment that will
achieve the objectives and aims assigned to her project before the 48-hour time
limit expires. In other words, she and the other competitors will be told to
design for a specific season, target market, cost range and practical
application.

Gillaspie and her competitors will make initial sketches and
source materials from the fabric and garment component manufacturers on the
show floor.

“I’ve been
snowboarding twice and I’m an avid hunter (and) have been since I was 12,”
Gillaspie said. “So I understand what kind of clothing is preferred in
extremely cold weather.”

A panel of design, supplier and manufacturer industry professionals
will review each stage of the contestants’ work. On day three of the trade
show, each designer will deliver a final presentation, and the judges will
declare a winner. The grand prize is a design profile in a national magazine
and a return trip to next year’s show.

Gillaspie, who has worked part time at Hancock Fabrics in
Murfreesboro for nearly three years, is fond of versatile garments with
convertible design features, but she struggles in trying to define her “style.”

“It’s definitely not preppy or super-girly or tomboy,” said
Gillaspie. “I mean, it’s kind of eclectic.

“I’m
very inspired by fantasy-type pieces, things that almost don’t look like they
can be worn. More practically, and also more recently, I really am drawn to
jewel-toned colors and Steampunk.”

For
the uninitiated, Steampunk is a mixture of Victorian-era styles with 20th century,
21st century and futuristic science-fiction technological features.
Characteristics of Steampunk fashion include bodices, corsets, eye-loupe
goggles and timepiece jewelry and accessories.

While
Gillaspie cites her MTSU professors, especially Dr. Gina Pisut, as influences,
her family has been a major factor in her love of apparel design. Her paternal
grandmother, who sewed for a living, guided her during her middle-school and
high-school years.

Moreover,
her cousin, Johnathan Kayne, was one of the stars of season three of the
fashion reality TV program “Project Runway.” Kayne now runs his own
Nashville-based fashion design business. His brand of shoes, dresses and
lingerie can be found in more than 3,000 stores in more than 40 countries,
according towww.johnathankayne.com.

Gillaspie’s fellow competitors hail from Kent State
University, the University of Delaware, Missouri State University and
California State University-Long Beach.

Outdoor Retailer determines which schools will be invited in
any given season, and university departments are allowed to pick which students
they wish to send in any manner they deem fit.

However, Gillaspie says she’s less concerned with
competitive fervor than she is with availing herself of this unique national
networking opportunity.

“My goal is to learn as much as I can and hopefully land a
job,” Gillaspie said.

MTSU is committed to developing a community
devoted to learning, growth, and service. We hold these values dear, and
there’s a simple phrase that conveys them: “I
am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU
news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.